Pcb-designHow-ToBeginner · 3 min read

How to Download Mission Using DroneKit: Simple Guide

To download a mission using dronekit, connect to the vehicle and use vehicle.commands.download() followed by vehicle.commands.wait_ready() to fetch the mission commands. This process loads the mission waypoints into vehicle.commands for further use.

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Syntax

Here is the basic syntax to download a mission using DroneKit:

vehicle.commands.download(): Starts downloading the mission from the drone.
vehicle.commands.wait_ready(): Waits until the mission download is complete.
vehicle.commands: Contains the list of mission commands after download.

python

vehicle.commands.download()
vehicle.commands.wait_ready()
# Now vehicle.commands contains the mission waypoints

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Example

This example shows how to connect to a drone, download its mission, and print each waypoint's details.

python

from dronekit import connect

# Connect to the vehicle (replace with your connection string)
vehicle = connect('127.0.0.1:14550', wait_ready=True)

# Download the mission
vehicle.commands.download()
vehicle.commands.wait_ready()

# Print mission waypoints
print('Mission waypoints:')
for cmd in vehicle.commands:
    print(f'Command: {cmd.command}, Latitude: {cmd.x}, Longitude: {cmd.y}, Altitude: {cmd.z}')

# Close vehicle connection
vehicle.close()

Output

Mission waypoints: Command: 16, Latitude: 47.397742, Longitude: 8.545594, Altitude: 10.0 Command: 16, Latitude: 47.397825, Longitude: 8.545600, Altitude: 10.0 Command: 16, Latitude: 47.397900, Longitude: 8.545650, Altitude: 10.0

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Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when downloading missions include:

Not calling vehicle.commands.wait_ready() after download(), which causes incomplete mission data.
Trying to access vehicle.commands before the download finishes.
Not handling connection errors properly, which can cause the download to fail silently.

Always ensure the vehicle is connected and ready before downloading the mission.

python

## Wrong way (missing wait_ready):
vehicle.commands.download()
# Accessing commands immediately may fail
print(len(vehicle.commands))  # Might be 0 or incomplete

## Right way:
vehicle.commands.download()
vehicle.commands.wait_ready()
print(len(vehicle.commands))  # Correct number of waypoints

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Quick Reference

Method	Purpose
vehicle.commands.download()	Start downloading mission from drone
vehicle.commands.wait_ready()	Wait until mission download completes
vehicle.commands	Access downloaded mission waypoints
vehicle.close()	Close connection to the vehicle

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Key Takeaways

Always call vehicle.commands.download() followed by vehicle.commands.wait_ready() to get the full mission.

Access mission waypoints only after the download is complete to avoid empty or partial data.

Handle vehicle connection carefully to ensure mission download succeeds.

Use vehicle.commands to iterate over mission waypoints after download.

Close the vehicle connection when done to free resources.